On the Knowledge and Love of God

“A virtuous man may be ignorant, but ignorance is not a virtue. It would be a strange God Who could be loved better by being known less. Love of God is not the same as knowledge of God; love of God is immeasurably more important than knowledge of God; but if a man loves God knowing a little about Him, he should love God more from knowing more about Him: for every new thing know about God is a new reason for loving Him.”

~ F. J. Sheed, Theology and Sanity (New York, NY; Sheed & Ward, 1946), 9-10.

On the Meaning of Everything

“Because reality is theistically grounded, human beings do not have the freedom of, the justification for, or even the capability of creating and ascribing an independent meaning to the universe. They are not free to do so because God already has done it. They are not justified in doing so because it is a violation of their subordinate, creaturely status. And they are not capable of doing so because of their formidable limitations. Only the rebellious, the proud, and the deceived, that is, only a human nature that is corrupt, would attempt such a ridiculous feat. The meaning of the universe and the authority to determine it are not open questions since both are fixed in the existence and character of God.”

~ David Naugle, Worldview: The History of a Concept (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Eerdmans, 2002), 261-262.

Thinking Christianly about All of Life

“To talk about a Christian worldview is simply another way of saying that when we are redeemed, our entire outlook on life is re-centered on God and re-built on His revealed truth.”

~ Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2004), 46.

“Christian faith seeks true understanding of the real world.”

“The Scriptures — what Calvin calls our ’spectacles of faith’ — serve as corrective lenses that enable us to see the world as it really is in the context of God’s all-encompassing plan. Note that the redemptive-historical story line of the Bible — the narrative movement from creation through fall to salvation — is in no one single group’s interest only. To view culture through the lens of biblical faith does not distort reality but offers a high-definition worldview. Christian faith seeks true understanding of the real world.”

~ Kevin J. Vanhoozer, “What is Everyday Theology?” in Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, et al eds. (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Baker Academic, 2007), 41.

The Scope of Christian Interest and Concern

“If the glory of God is reflected in all of creation, if the effects of sin reach to all of creation, and if the goal of redemption is to restore all of creation, then what should you and I care about? EVERYTHING!”

~ Paul David Tripp, Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger Than Yourself (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2007), 45.

Six Affirmations about the Relationship between the Mind of God and the Mind of Man from the Late Carl F. H. Henry

“The God of the Bible is a rational God; . . . the divine Logos is central to the Godhead and is the agent in creation and redemption; . . . man was made in the divine image for intelligible communion with God; . . . God communicates his purposes and truths about himself in the biblical revelation; . . . the holy Spirit uses truth as a means of persuasion and conviction; and . . . Christian experience includes not simply a surrender of the will but a rational assent to the truth of God.”

~ Carl F. H. Henry, “Reply to the God-Is-Dead Mavericks,” Christianity Today 10 (May 27, 1966), 894.

The Indispensability of Knowledge

“Knowledge is indispensable to Christian life and service. If we do not use the mind which God has given us, we condemn ourselves to spiritual superficiality, and cut ourselves off from many of the riches of God’s grace. At the same time, knowledge is given to be used, to lead us to higher worship, greater faith, deeper holiness, better service.”

~ John Stott, Your Mind Matters (London, England, InterVarsity Press, 1972), 46

G. K. Chesterton ~ On Quarrels & Arguments

“My brother, Cecil Edward Chesterton, was born when I was about five years old; and, after a brief pause, began to argue. He continued to argue to the end. . . . I am glad to think that through all those years we never stopped arguing; and never once quarrelled. Perhaps the principle objection to a quarrel is that it interrupts an argument.”

~ G. K. Chesterton, Autobiography, quoted by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. in Engaging God’s World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 128.

To Know & Love God

“A virtuous man may be ignorant, but ignorance is not a virtue. It would be a strange God Who could be loved better by being known less. Love of God is not the same as knowledge of God; love of God is immeasurably more important than knowledge of God; but if a man loves God knowing a little about Him, he should love God more from knowing more about Him: for every new thing known about God is a new reason for loving Him.”

~ F. J. Sheed, Theology and Sanity (New York, NY: Sheed & Ward, 1946), 9-10

The Root of Knowledge

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;                                  fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7 ESV).

“What is the relation which subsists between the fear of the Lord and true wisdom? The one is the foundation, the other the imposed superstructure; the one is the sustaining root, the other the sustained branches; the one is the living fountain, the other the issuing stream. . . .

The man whose knowledge begins and ends with matter and its laws, has got a superstructure without a foundation. . . . But this beginning of knowledge, resting on the being and attributes of God, and comprehending all the relations of the creature, is a foundation that cannot be shaken.”

~ William Arnot, Studies in Proverbs: Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Kregel, 1978), 20, 22.